The distribution of television signals has increasingly become based on digital methods and digitally encoded forms of video and audio signals. At the same time, higher resolution (high definition TV) has become available in the market place, commensurate with larger and higher definition displays. To meet the requirement of interconnecting such high definition displays with digital signal sources such as Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) players and receivers/decoders for digital satellite and digital cable distribution of video material, a digital interface standard has evolved, known as the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). A detailed specification for HDMI can be obtained from the “hdmi.org” website. The HDMI specification currently available and used in this application is HDMI specification version 1.2 dated Aug. 22, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference. This HDMI standard can be employed for connecting digital video sources to digital video sinks over a cable that carries a number of digital signals and a clock signal.
This interface, being capable of running at a very high data rate presents a number of challenges that need to be solved, in order that cost-effective hardware implementations can be manufactured for the consumer market.
Existing technologies commonly used in high performance telecommunications equipment could be employed to build HDMI receivers and transmitters, but would scarcely meet the cost, power, and size targets implied by the consumer market.
Consequently there is a need for the development of innovative techniques to enable a data recovery system for a low-cost, low-power HDMI receiver.